News

Sevilla start bid against Salzburg

Published: Friday 29 August 2008, 20.20CET

Sevilla FC will begin their bid for a third UEFA Cup victory in four years against FC Salzburg after the first round draw was made in Monaco with tough ties for Italian trio AC Milan, SSC Napoli and Udinese Calcio.

Trending now

Headlines

Sevilla start bid against Salzburg

Sevilla FC will begin their bid for a third UEFA Cup victory in four years against FC Salzburg after the first round draw was made in Monaco with tough ties for Italian trio AC Milan, SSC Napoli and Udinese Calcio.

Sevilla FC will begin their bid for a third UEFA Cup victory in four years against FC Salzburg after the first round draw was made today in Monaco.

Milan attemptEighty sides in all are aiming to win places in the group stage and Sevilla return to the competition having been involved last term in the UEFA Champions League – in which UEFA Cup holders FC Zenit St. Petersburg now compete. AC Milan will attempt to claim the one major international club trophy which has eluded them and have been drawn against FC Zürich, with the ties to be played on 18 September and 2 October.

Italian tasksSSC Napoli, who lifted this trophy in 1989 but have been absent from European action for 14 years before their success in this season's UEFA Intertoto Cup, have been given a difficult tie against SL Benfica. Indeed, the draw was fairly unkind to Italian teams, with Udinese Calcio being paired with former European champions in the shape of BV Borussia Dortmund.

Road to finalFive days after the second legs the draw will be held for the group stage, the fixture dates for which are: 23 October, 6 November, 27 November, 3/4 December and 17/18 December. The top three sides from each of the eight groups will be joined by the eight third-placed teams in the UEFA Champions League for the Round of 32 in February, with the eventual aim being a place in the final at Istanbul's Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium on 20 May.

2008/09 UEFA Cup first roundTeam named first at home first (reversals tbc)1st leg: 18 September2nd leg: 2 October

The UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE word, the UEFA Europa League logo and the UEFA Europa League trophy are protected by trade marks and/or copyright of UEFA. No use for commercial purposes may be made of such trade marks. Use of UEFA.com signifies your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.